Full time travel may seem glamorous or torturous depending on who you ask! For us, the last three years on the road in an RV with our two dogs has proved to be never glamorous…never torturous, but somewhere in between!
There are days on the road that you will wish you lived like everyone else. And there will be days that you can’t imagine ever going back to normal life again.
Is it challenging to travel full time with dogs? It can be. Stopping more on travel days, packing food and finding dog friendly accommodations are just the start. Here is a list of questions asked by our readers to get your travel mind in gear. Are you ready? Only you’ll be able to answer that. But here are our answers to your latest questions.
Do you ever feel like you are too cramped in the RV? Like you want some space?
Oh, yes. Most of the time, I feel like we have just enough space in our 37 foot, very used RV. But since it leaks, and the slide outs have to come in when it rains, my claustrophobic attitude can come out. I spend all my day outside when I can, on the computer while I work. I see others with smaller accommodations and it may be fine for them if they are alone or with smaller dogs. For me, this is as small as we could go with two 65 pound dogs.
How can you afford it? How do you make money?
We work for ourselves doing social media consulting. I also do freelance writing for online publications. You have to have a job that lets you work remotely. Depending on where you park and how much gas you’ll need, full time travel can end up costing as much or more than a home. Especially if you need repairs! That’s where we are now and simply can’t afford it. So we stay parked for longer periods.
Do you worry about having access to vets or 24 hour emergency care?
We do worry. We try to locate a vet online in whatever area we travel to ahead of time. Having their vet records printed out with all licenses is vitally important. State lines can have checkpoints! Plus, having their records makes it easier during an emergency. Do you have all their medications and a dog first aid kit?
When alone, how do you stop to use the restroom if you have your dog and won’t leave them?
When you have an RV you can turn on a generator and have air or heat just like if you were stationary. So lock your door and go. If you don’t have an RV, leaving your dog is never advised.
How do you keep them comfortable when moving regularly?
It’s hard with seniors. There are bumps in the road! It’s not a smooth ride like you see on TV! We make sure they can still sit on the couch or their beds. Making sure we stop to stretch every 2 hours is key. And Pet Releaf helps with Brickle’s travel anxiety.
So is travel right for you? Let us know your questions! We would love to get more people on the road with their dogs. Life is short for both us and our dogs. Don’t wait to travel full time if this is something you want to do! Every sacrifice is worth it. There will never be a perfect time to do this.
Although this has been hard, and we gave up many comforts, our relationships with our dogs has never been closer. We have been able to spend time together and that makes any challenge more than worth it. For that, I’ll always be grateful.
-Rachael Johnson, Cofounder 2 Traveling Dogs and Your Dogs Diner
